1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns: a method to automatically display and/or measure bone variations in medical image data; as well as a medical imaging apparatus; a computer program product; and an electronically readable data storage medium to implement such a method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical image data typically are acquired to assess the condition of bones in the human body and to display bone variations. For example, a joint examination (of the hand, for example) is typically implemented in the examination of inflammatory joint illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis. One parameter in these examinations is the assessment of bone erosions. The assessment of the bone erosions currently takes place on a qualitative basis in which an observer grades the degree of the erosion using a scale. However, this method is affected by the experience and subjectivity of the observer, and thus hinders the comparability and the evaluation of changes in the course of the illness.